Debut of Anderson School of Management’s new Il Tramezzino restaurant pushed back two months to March
Il Tramezzino, the restaurant replacing Espresso Roma Cafe in the Anderson School of Management, is now set to open in early March. ASUCLA and the Anderson School have arranged for food trucks to make up for the delay.
By Alexia Boyarsky
Jan. 11, 2011 1:54 a.m.
Skylark Cafe has been open near the Anderson School of Management during the completion of new restaurant Il Tramezzino.
The opening of Il Tramezzino’s new restaurant at the Anderson School of Management has been set back two months, owing to delays in clearing the space.
Il Tramezzino, which was supposed to open at the beginning of the quarter as a replacement for Espresso Roma Cafe, is now set to open in early March, said Anderson spokeswoman Allison Holmes.
The delay was a result of disputes over the ownership of some appliances in the space, including light fixtures and large refrigerators.
The appliances had belonged to Espresso Roma Cafe, which negotiated with the Anderson School to allow for the appliances to remain in return for compensation, said former manager Jason Estes.
Holmes declined to elaborate on the cause of the delay, citing only “unforeseen delays in vacating the space.”
Il Tramezzino will start construction on the space next week, though the restaurant has cut down on its construction plans in order to open earlier, said restaurant owner Rick Walken.
In the meantime, a rotating schedule of food trucks has been serving food at the intersection of Westwood Plaza and Charles E. Young Drive North near Parking Structure 4, Holmes said. A Skylark Cafe cart was also moved from Kaufman Hall to the Anderson courtyard last quarter, and currently serves coffee and sandwiches.
Associated Students UCLA worked in conjunction with the Anderson School to organize and provide the food trucks, which operate Monday through Friday in the afternoon, Holmes said.
Although some students said the food at the trucks is an improvement, others said it is difficult to find time for the trucks, which are farther away, during tight breaks between classes.
“It’s a real pain,” said Anderson graduate student Nicky George. “The trucks are quite expensive, and I liked going (to Espresso Roma Cafe) because they had a place to sit down.”
But despite the distance from the graduate school, some Anderson students said they like the new variety that the food trucks offer.
“(Espresso Roma Cafe’s menu) was always on a schedule, and that got old really fast,” Anderson student Maria Palmer said.
Although the food trucks are currently only scheduled to run until the end of the month, they are likely to be extended until the new restaurant opens, Holmes said.
